The Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin

Kiwi singer Tusekah's been building up a reputation as one to watch, and it seems like some other major artists have taken notice.
She's supported a range of notable artists including PJ Morton, Deva Mahal, and Olivia Dean on tour.
She says opening for Olivia Dean represented a lot of firsts for her, and she revealed that getting the gig was just a matter of reaching out and staying persistent.
"It was just really surreal - and then the support that I got from her audience was amazing as well, so I'm super grateful to have had that opportunity."
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On this day in 1943, the actions of young 28th Māori battalion solider, Lance Sergeant Haane Manahi, changed the course of World War II in North Africa.
Just before midnight, Manahi led a group of soldiers up a vertical cliff to capture the Tunisian town of Takrouna from Axis powers - he took hundreds of prisoners, carried injured comrades down the mountain and protected locals from danger.
Up until now, Haane’s story has largely been kept alive through his descendants but it’s now been turned into a film.
Sgt. Haane was directed by Tearepa Kahi and stars Alex Tarrant - and the pair are committed to bringing this story to life.
"I knew there were things about his story that were familiar, and when you're a storyteller, you want to get off the beaten track and into the unknown world. So it was sort of sitting down with what was unknown, what remained - what stones remained unturned."
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The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke. This is set on a remote Scottish island to which seven aspiring authors have been invited, and when they arrive find that the reclusive famous author who lives there has died, and his publisher is desperate to find someone who can write the last chapter of his unfinished manuscript. There is an enormous payday for the successful writer, but as they settle in for the contest the bodies start to pile up and they find that they’re writing crime in the middle of a crime scene. Evelyn Clarke, the author of this is actually two people, both of whom are established writers and they’ve taken the opportunity through this novel to skewer the publishing industry whilst delivering a very Agatha Christie-esque mystery thriller.
Other People's Bodies by Megan Nicol Reed. Set in Auckland, this is the story of a group of women who join a gym which is operated by an enigmatic man named Lars, where they discover friendship, shared goals and become drawn more and more into his orbit. As things go on though, something in the dynamic changes and his influence and control of their lives becomes overbearing and somewhat sinister. Lars is married to Priya, in a relationship where the power balance is uneven, and she reaches a point, watching, where she must decide if she should step out of the shadows and intervene, whatever the cost.
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Megan's on another visit to New Orleans and she's found some new spots to check out.
She's being checking out the local cuisine and exploring the bars - and the historic Storyville Museum.
Read more about her experiences here.
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This week on the Sunday Panel, TV producer, journalist, and commentator, Irene Gardiner and host of The Front Page podcast, Chelsea Daniels, joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Is National in a pickle? The party underperformed in another poll and it's sparked discussions about Luxon's future as a leader. Do we see him lasting ahead of the election? Do we see him getting rolled?
The new Michael Jackson biopic is out in theatres this week - will we see it? Can we separate the artist from the art?
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